Many bicycling enthusiasts wear special cycling pants that are constructed for durability, cushioning between the seat and the cyclist, minimum chaffing of the cyclist and, oftentimes, minimum wind resistance. Cycling pants conventionally include a liner in the crotch and buttocks regions that has come to be generally known as a "chamois." [The term "chamois" is believed to be derived from the natural chamois material (sheep's skin leather) that is often used for the liner.]The chamois of cycling pants fits a part of the human anatomy that is of very complex shape. The lower abdomen is roughly vertically oriented; the perineal region is narrow, convexly curved downwardly antero-posteriorly, bounded by the upper, inner extremities of the thighs and widens both anteriorly and posteriorly; the lower buttocks curve posteriorly and upwardly, merge medially with the perineal region, and form junctures with the backs of the proximal thighs.
To provide reasonable conformity of the chamois with the anatomy, it has heretofore been required to fabricate it from several pieces of material, each configured to conform to a portion of the body, joined by stitching. For example, a conventional design consists of two side pieces, each having a wide rear part, a narrow center part and a wide front part, thus to roughly fit the medial borders of the buttocks, the upper medial extremities of the thighs and parts of the lower abdomen, and a triangular front piece to fit to the lower abdomen. The two side pieces are joined along a center seam along the rear and center parts, and the triangular front piece is joined to the front parts of the two side pieces by two seams forming a "V." This design only partly conforms to the body--the pieces are inherently flat, but the body has many curves. Therefore, the sewn chamois has a tendency to bunch up and crease and, therefore, cause some discomfort.